History, Memory and Politics in Central and Eastern Europe

History, Memory and Politics in Central and Eastern Europe

Memory Games

Twenty years after the end of communism, the history of Central and Eastern Europe still sparks intense discussions in the former Soviet bloc, as contested memories, primarily about communist repression and WWII, are relived. This volume goes beyond the state-centred approach that so often characterises the study of memory-issues in post-communist countries and highlights two interrelated factors that account for the recent proliferation of memory games in Central and Eastern Europe including, but not limited to, the growth in number of political and social actors who try to elaborate and impose new memory norms into society and the ‘internationalization’ of conflicted memories. In contrast to a narrow understanding of ‘transitional justice’, this collection of fourteen case studies situates conflicts around painful histories within the ‘ordinary’ operating of post-communist societies, concentrating on games played by political and administrative elites, activists and professional groups in various local, national and European venues.